COMMERCE CITY — It wasn’t always easy being a Rapid.
“I got here in 1997 and remember back when we were in the Westminster Rec Center and we were living out of portables,” said a chuckling Paul Bravo, who played for the Rapids from 1997-2001 and is now the team’s technical director. “We couldn’t even get everybody into the same portable. Those were our locker rooms, and so you had the group split into two portables, and then the coaching staff had their own.
“It’s crazy to think back to those days. To see that transformation has been nothing short of spectacular.”
Yes, it’s better now.
In the midst of criticism and constant jokes, skepticism and indifference, the Rapids keep going. They are not quite one year younger than the Avalanche.
The Rapids are playing their 15th season, incredible given the fact the team and Major League Soccer were predicted by most to be here today and gone tomorrow when the league opened for business in 1996.
But doomsday predictions weren’t held by everyone.
“I’ve always loved the sport and believed in it from the very beginning and am happy to see that the league is flourishing and happy to see that the Rapids are still here,” said Dan Counce, Rapids president/general manager from 1997-2005. “They’ve got a stadium, and not every article is talking about when are they going to go out of business, or what the crowd was.”
While the Rapids have had limited success on the field, they have woven themselves into the fabric of the community, helping youth soccer flourish as never before. Amateur coaching has improved too, with help from the club. Soccer, once mainly viewed as sport youthful athletes grew out of, has transformed into something young players grow into.
The organization’s development academy will make it possible for a youngster to get into the program, and, if the athlete is skilled enough, to have a chance to develop into a professional prospect.
“It gives kids the ability to really reach greater heights than back in my days,” Bravo said.
Colorado Youth Soccer, an organization that develops young players and coaches and provides places to play, has existed for more than 30 years. But its membership has boomed during the Rapids’ lifespan in town.
“I think Colorado Youth Soccer has close to 90,000 members,” said KieAnn Brownell, president of Denver Sports. “Is that because of the Colorado Rapids? I don’t know. But certainly it’s helpful that they are here. And it’s nice that kids have a team they can look up to.”
Of more pressing concern to Brownell is bidding to establish Denver as a World Cup host site if the tournament is awarded to the United States in 2018 or 2022. Denver’s viability is connected with the success of the Rapids. The team’s presence can help mobilize the local soccer community.
“I think it is definitely an important aspect of the bid,” Brownell said. “The USA bid committee is, in effect, being run by U.S. Soccer and MLS, in sort of a joint venture-type thing. So MLS is absolutely an important piece to this whole thing.”
On the field, the team has had its ups and down, unable to sustain a prolonged period of success.
The Rapids, through three home games this season, have averaged 10,483 fans. Colorado reached the MLS Cup in 1997 and the U.S. Open Cup final in 1999 but lost both. The Rapids also made the Western Conference final in 2005 and 2006. Bravo, Marcelo Balboa and Chris Henderson are their most memorable figures.
The construction of Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, a soccer-specific stadium in Commerce City that opened in 2007, was the final indication the team was here to stay.
“You have hundreds of millions of dollars in investment now,” Counce said. “And even though that stadium investment isn’t a direct payment to the league, it is in one respect another one of the anchors that the league has established that will keep it around forever.
“It is slowly becoming part of mainstream America. The strength of the league, the growth of the league is really promising.”
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
Key moments in Rapids history
Oct. 17, 1995: Rapids named one of 10 franchises that made up Major League Soccer.
April 13, 1996: Rapids’ first game, a 3-0 loss at Kansas City.
April 21, 1996: Rapids’ first home game in Denver, a 3-1 win over Dallas at Mile High Stadium.
Oct. 26, 1997: Improbable playoff run earns first MLS Cup. They lose 2-1 to D.C.
Sept. 13, 1999: Rapids reach Open Cup final for first time in team history, lose to Rochester.
2001: Rapids’ all-time leading scorer, Paul Bravo, retires.
2002: General manager Dan Counce named MLS executive of the year.
2003: Marcelo Balboa, team’s best player and most recognizable face, retires from soccer.
Aug. 29, 2005: Balboa inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
Nov. 5, 2005: Rapids host Western Conference championship match for first time.
April 7, 2007: Rapids’ open new home, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, with a 2-1 win over D.C. United.
